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What can a 3D printer do?

A 3D printer turns a drawing on a computer into a real thing, layer by layer.

A 3D printer does not print on paper like a normal printer. It builds up into the air instead. It stacks thin layers of melted plastic or another material, one on top of another. This turns a flat drawing into a real object you can hold in your hand.

This machine can make a toy, a cup, a spare part, or a model house. Even doctors use 3D printers to make special parts for patients. Astronauts in space can even use a 3D printer to make a part they need.

When a 3D printer works, a design is made on a computer first. Then the printer splits this design into hundreds of thin layers and adds each layer on top of the last, one by one. Finishing an object can sometimes take hours.

Quick facts

A 3D printer makes objects by adding thin layers one on top of another.
The most common material is melted plastic thread, called filament.
Before printing, a three-dimensional design is made on a computer.
Doctors can use 3D printers to make special parts for patients.
There is a 3D printer on the International Space Station for astronauts.
Printing an object with a 3D printer can take hours.

Check what you remember

4 questions — all of them come from the quick facts above. There is no score and no wrong turn.

1. How does a 3D printer make an object?

2. What is the plastic thread used in a 3D printer called?

3. What is made before something is printed with a 3D printer?

4. Where do astronauts have a 3D printer?

Where this comes from

1 tr.wikipedia.org 85/100
3D Printing - Wikipedia
An encyclopedia page that explains simply how a 3D printer works.
2 nasa.gov 80/100
NASA homepage
News about using 3D printers in space can be found here.
3 en.wikipedia.org 80/100
3D printing - Wikipedia
A detailed page about the history and types of 3D printing.

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Printing layer by layer

A 3D printer does not make an object all at once. It builds it up in thin layers. Each layer sticks to the one before it. In the end, they all join together to make one whole thing.

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What is filament?

The plastic thread used in a 3D printer is called filament. When it is heated, it goes soft and can be shaped. When it cools down, it goes hard again.

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3D design programs

Before a 3D printer prints anything, it is designed on a computer using a special program. This design is three-dimensional, which means it has width, length, and height. The printer reads this design and turns it into something real.

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3D printers in space

There is a 3D printer on the International Space Station. Astronauts can print a broken part right there, without waiting for one from Earth. This saves a lot of time.

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